Sunday, March 28, 2010

On February 24, 2010, I posted a column titled “Rock Art and Sound Effects”. In that posting I discussed the possibility that sound effects may have enhanced the experience of viewers of painted panels in European caves. Also, that many rock art panels are located in places that display unusual echo effects. Another possible manifestation of sound at rock art sites would be music. This could be music played in the presence of rock art, and could also be music as a theme of the imagery in the rock art.

Trois freres sanctuary, sketched by

Abbe Breuel,Musee de l'Homme.

One example of music as a theme of rock art is found in the sanctuary at Le Trois Freres, sketched by the Abbe Breuel. Often considered a shaman figure, this therianthropic character seems to be dancing on human legs but possesses a bison head, horns and forelimbs. Additionally, this enigmatic figure is obviously carrying a bow and appears to be pursuing a group of bison. This has led to previous classifications of this scene as a portrayal of hunting magic.

Les Trois Freres, Abbe Breuil, 1912, p.21

In Musical Instruments, Craftsmanship and Tradition from Prehistory to the Present, Lucy Rault, suggested that this figure was, in fact, playing music on a musical bow. She described the technique of playing the instrument as “the player places the string between his lips and strikes it with a thin stick. Modifying the volume by altering the position of his lips, and of the tongue within the mouth cavity the musician creates different harmonics to produce a tune” (2000: 151). Rault included a photo of a Dan musician from the Ivory Coast and pointed out the position of the bow relative to the mouth as representative of the figure playing the bow as an instrument.

Musical bow, Dan, Ivory Coast, p.151.

In another connection between music and cave painting bone flutes have been excavated from deposits within caves that also possess cave paintings. It is no great stretch to imagine those flutes being played in a context of ceremonials in front of painted panels within the cave, although we cannot by any means prove that both the flute playing and the painted panels were involved in the same performance.

Paleolithic bone flutes,Isturitz, p.33.

Since we find the concept of music played in the context of rock art panels so interesting, we can probably assume that the prehistoric inhabitants of those regions would like the idea as well, and, since they had all the ingredients available – who knows?

Friday, March 19, 2010

Periodically in the study of rock art an amazing or inexplicable occurrence will happen that reminds us of the mystery in our field. Twice in my three decades (so far) of rock art study I have been presented with an amazing contrast of the old imagery in a futuristic context. In 1998 I was in front of a petroglyph panel on a large boulder in the bottom of the Picketwire (Purgatoire) Canyon in southeastern Colorado when a B-1B came roaring over the canyon at a relatively low altitude. In spite of its speed I managed to get a picture that shows it with only a minimum amount of blurring. Upon reflection it was not that unlikely that it happened because the U.S. Air Force maintained at that time an electronic bombing range over southeastern Colorado where no bombs were actually dropped, but airplane crews could realistically practice aerial countermeasures and electronic detection of targets and threats.

Rock art site along Purgatoire river,

southeastern Colorado.

Photo: 1998, Peter Faris.

Earlier that same year I had been at the Three Rivers petroglyph site west of Ruidoso in New Mexico when an even more remarkable contrast had been presented to me. At that time the U.S. Air Force 49th Fighter Wing which flew the remarkable F-117A Nighthawk, the so-called “Stealth” fighter, was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, literally next door to Three Rivers. While absorbed in the remarkable rock art which can be viewed at Three Rivers on three different occasions my attention was attracted upward to see the fabled “stealth” fighter fly over at a fairly low altitude. Three Rivers is apparently pretty much under the landing patter for Holloman. Disappointingly, because of lighting conditions, I was unable to personally take a successful photograph of one.

F-117 Nighthawk "stealth fighter".

In both of these instances the weird feeling came from the contrast of being there concentrating on petroglyphs dating from some hundreds to some thousands of years in age, and being distracted by a surprising and unexpected view of something on the modern cutting edge of futuristic-appearing aerial technology. The remarkable contrast gave me a feeling that I can only describe as the feeling of being within a time warp, the ancient past and the SciFi future within the same view.

Now I have personally never been able to accept the reality of so-called UFOs although I know at least one rock art researcher who claims to have seen them. I also know of people who claim to be serious rock art researchers who believe they see evidence of outer space aliens in rock art. And, although I am a science fiction fan I never felt the need to complicate my world with aliens and UFOs. Not only rock art has been appropriated by UFO believers, the F-117 Nighthawk is one of the advanced aircraft that cultists have claimed was made possible by our government’s unacknowledged possession of UFOs and alien artifacts.

I do believe that both the study of ancient rock art, and modern cutting-edge technology, are exciting enough as they are without trying to read in imagined aliens. People, let’s give the credit where credit is due. We did it all, and we should be proud.

According to some researchers it is possible to find interesting acoustics at many rock art sites. In locales where the rock art is on cliffs they believe that the form of the cliffs often provides for a stronger echo than other nearby sections of cliff. Measurements of the strength of echoes from various surfaces in painted European caves suggest that this can indeed be the case. In 2000 Lucy Rault wrote in Musical Instruments: Craftsmanship and Tradition from Prehistory to the Present, that “comparable investigations at Niaux have similarly demonstrated that in this cave places with particularly strong echoes also have images associated with them, some if these, significantly, mark places where sounds linger for several seconds. We can therefore conclude that the choice of locations for wall figures seems to have been made largely on the basis of their acoustical value. Sometimes whole walls remain empty where the corresponding space, however vast it may be, produces no echo. On the other hand, places favorable for echoes are marked and painted, even if their location made such decoration difficult to accomplish.” (Rault 2000:22).

Horse, Grotte de Niaux, Ariege, p.22Lucy Rault, 2000, Musical Instruments, Craftsmanshipand Tradition from Prehistory to the Present. The accompanying illustrations are examples from her interesting book of painted panels that display strong echoes in European caves.

Since rock art is often found on large, reasonably flat cliff surfaces I have experienced many times in various parts of the American West the phenomenon of echoes from rock art sites. It appears to be an unavoidable function of the location that echoes will be heard. I had assumed that it was simply a coincidence; it simply had not occurred to me that there might be a connection between the echo and the art. Given this information concerning echoes and cave paintings in the painted caves of Europe I believe now that I have to re-evaluate this connection.REFERENCE:

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"We can be nearly certain that we who look upon the rock art today were not the intended audience. But they have meanings for us non-the-less. Whether that meaning is part of our archaeological studies, a part of national or regional heritage or simply an appreciation of their aesthetic beauty, we are their inheritors and it is up to us to preserve them with care and dignity." D. Russel Micnhimer, 2012.

CONTACT US AT: ARCHEOFARIS@YAHOO.COM, you can make comments, suggest subjects for future postings, or send a photo as an attachment to your e-mail for consideration as a future Pix Pick (submitting your photo is understood to include permission for use). NOTE: The previous e-mail address, rockartblogmail@yahoo.com, was apparently blocked by Yahoo for some unknown reason so I can no longer access it. If you have tried to communicate with me through that address I probably have not received your message.

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About Me

30+ year member of the Colorado Archaeological Society,
Founder and former President of the Colorado Rock Art Association,
Member of the Arapahoe County Cultural Commission, President of Institute for Archeoesthetics.
2013 recipient of the Ivol Hagar Award for outstanding service to the Colorado Archaeological Society, and a 2013 Colorado Rock Art Association Chapter Achievement Award. Member of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Committee and also Programs Committee of History Colorado.
Arapahoe County Cultural Council.